Cynicism Sees a Fallen World.

Microsoft dominates the computer market. One thing that they do very well is design their operating systems in such a way that they can be used by anyone. But it is because of this all too inclusive approach, that the serious computer person often uses Mac OS X or Unix/Linux derived systems. From the geek's perspective, those systems are superior to Microsoft.

One great reason is because the way Microsoft made
their OS's spread the "widest net" was to prevent extreme customization and "tweaking under the hood". Computer geeks, however, like and want to tweak "under the hood". So they use Unix, Linux and Mac systems. It is indisputable that these Non-Microsoft alternatives are superior as far as security.

You can call it cynicism if you want, but I believe that this phenomenon is indicative of what Christianity calls "the curse of sin" in that the more popular (hence the wider the net is cast) something is, the more watered down it generally becomes.

In other words, there is an inverse proportionality between quality and appeal. This is exactly what my Christian worldview informs me to expect.

If Wisdom was as common as "common sense", it wouldn't be valued. It is valued because it is uncommon. I see this effect in commercialization.

Just compare popular music to what music schools study. In other words, the music that the pop culture values is dramatically different than the music that educated musicians tend to value.
I'm not trying to be a snob nor am I casting judgement on people's preferences. Believe me, there are plenty of three chord pop songs that I love (the latest is Celine Dion's "What Do You Say"), but from an educated musician's standpoint, I recognize them for what they are. They are great for getting my toes to tap and putting a melodic hook in my head, but they are far from bastions of creativity or musicianship.

The more creative music becomes, and the greater the displays of excellent musicianship are present, the less popular the appeal of such music tends to be.

If all of this is indicative of a "fallen world" then who can catch us?